My interest (some may say passion) for home brewed coffee has been around for at least a couple of years. It seems like an ordinary everyday activity that some people take more seriously than others. But, there’s always more to learn about coffee and the ways it could be made.

One of the things that have fascinated me the most is how much you can express your personality in the coffee you make.

For instance, using coffee percolators is a more traditional and slower way to make coffee, but it brings out the flavor and simplifies the brewing process.

Once you’ve decided on this method, you need to choose the best coffee percolator based on the way you make coffee and what kind of grinds are you using.

How To Pick A Coffee Percolator?

Before we dive into the process of selecting the best percolator, let me explain why you should use this method of coffee brewing in the first place. Like with anything else there are pros and cons to percolators, but there are a few distinct features it brings to the table:

The coffee has a stronger and richer flavor when it’s made with a percolator. This feature is especially important when you start experimenting with the ﻿﻿grind and want to feel all the subtitle differences a good mix contains.

It’s easy to use, and it’s especially well suited to guest entertainment. You could make coffee while talking to friends and when you bring a pot to the table, it’s still hot and steamy – and it stay’s this way.

Now I’m lucky enough to have all the counter space I need, but it wasn’t always the case. Some coffee ﻿﻿﻿makers need to be plugged in all the time and come with a lot of pots that take up space. Percolators are compact, and you can just put it away when you don’t need it.

2. Stove Top or Electric

This decision depends on how your kitchen is organized, where you live, and how often do you travel. None of these are set in stone and could easily change when you move, so make a plan and get a percolator that could keep up with the changes in your life.

Stove top percolators could be placed on your stove (even if it’s a wood stove you use on a camping trip) or on a gril﻿﻿l if you’re outdoors. Electric percolator needs to be plugged in, which is simpler but doesn’t work when there’s a power outage.

3. Speed of Prep

Percolators are about the ritual of making coffee the same way you grandmother used to make them. Some complain that this takes too long and that it could even burn the coffee if it’s not done right. There’s some truth to this. Stove percolators can burn the coffee if left unattended for too long.

However, the speed of prep depends on the model you choose, and with a good percolator, the whole process shouldn’t last more than four of five minutes, like with any other coffee maker.

It’s more than you need for an average family, which means that you could use it to throw small get-togethers and spend time with other coffee aficionados.

In the same, this feature will make it a bit bulky and hard to pack, but its sturdiness remedies that.

It’s a stove percolator made from stainless steel. You could put it on any stove or barbeque including the one you make outside.

The handle is comfortable, and you can grip it and feel assured that you won’t drop it (and if you do, you’re just going to spill some coffee – the percolator will be intact).

It is a bit slower than you would expect. Making a fresh cup of coffee could take you up to 12 minutes. The speed will improve as you get more practice.

Cleaning, on the other hand, doesn’t take that much effort at all – the percolator fits in a washing machine.

There’s one small design flaw that ruins the experience a bit – the spout is strangely shaped which makes the last few drops of coffee hard to pour into the cups. It doesn’t affect the quality of the coffee it’s just a bit impractical.

Things I Liked

Things I Didn’t Like

This percolator isn’t made for big parties or families that drink copious amounts of coffee.

It’s a much smaller device for personal use. It contains two to four cups depending on what you count as a cup (a lot of the time manufacturers think a sip is a cup). When you take into consideration how much coffee you’re getting in a batch, the price is pretty steep.

Faberware is electric, meaning that you won’t be able to use it for company or hiking, but travel is still an option.

The cords could be removed and packed separately, and the handle is always cool which is pretty significant when the cord is limiting your range of motions in the kitchen.

It’s one of the fastest percolators out there. Making of one cup of coffee will take you about a minute. The full batch won’t take longer than five even if you’re clumsy in the kitchen.

It’s a great option for making a quick morning coffee just for you before daily obligations set in.

There’s no mess when you brew, and the cords are easily removed, which makes the cleaning simple and easy. Just don’t forget to unplug it and let it cool off a bit before you start the cleaning process.

The Faberware has one big drawback – many users complain that the heating element is prone to failure, sometimes without any cause.

Things I Liked

Things I Didn’t Like

Hamilton can contain up to 12 cups of coffee which is more than you could need in a single brewing. It naturally makes it a bit larger and harder to pack and carry, but since it’s an electric model, to begin with – it won’t leave the kitchen that much.

This percolator is electric and has a light indicator let you know when you can serve the coffee.

The cord, however, could be removed to make the cleaning easier and to let you serve the coffee in the percolator without dealing with inelegant cables.

It isn’t the most expensive device on our list, but it provides more than enough value for the money.

The coffees are ready in 12 minutes and that only if you make the whole batch of 12 cups.

The coffee will also stay hot for a while after it’s made and the handle stays cold the whole time.

It’s easy to clean on the outside, and coffee stains don’t appear for a while, but they could be easily removed in a dishwasher. There’s also a glass portion that allows you to see the water while it’s boiling. It gets foggy, and all you need to do is let it clear.

There’s one serious complaint about it – it lasts only as long as the warranty, which is about a year.

However, it’s not an expensive device and buying a new one every year won’t be that much of a problem.

Things I Liked

Things I Didn’t Like

It’s another big percolator, capable of making 12 cups of coffee at once.

However, it can’t make less than four, so it isn’t made for that early morning coffee before work everyone likes to drink alone. It’s also pretty large, but light enough to be carried around.

Cuisinart will have to stay in the kitchen since it needs to be plugged-in to work.

However, it will remain cold on the bottom and the handle while the coffee is still hot and the cord can be removed leaving options when it comes to serving.

It’s just as fast as any other coffee maker and the cleaning isn’t that much of a problem.

This, however, doesn’t apply to the spout which is made not to waste a drop of coffee, but not to be easily reached when it’s cleaning time. Coffee stains will appear from the inside, but a dishwasher could handle that.

The longevity is also the only problem with the device that keeps coming up. It doesn’t always hold up for three years, which is how long the warranty lasts. There’s no way around it - sometimes you’ll need to replace it.

Things I Liked

The size

The design

Things I Didn’t Like

The lifespan

Cleaning the spout

So, What’s The Best Coffee Percolator For You?

It’s difficult to say which one is the best coffee percolator for your family.

There are a lot of factors to have in mind. Some don’t like the cords at all, while others care mostly about the size and the compactness of their percolator.

Cleaning and durability are the biggest problems for others because they don’t want to waste time on cleaning and money on repairs.

Somewhere between all of these considerations, there’s a sweet spot for your kitchen and your way of brewing.

There’s something about percolators that’s old fashioned.

Maybe it’s that crackling sound they make while brewing; maybe it’s the stronger taste that used to be popular a while back and it’s now making a comeback with all things retro.

If you want to keep this preference, but have all the features of a modern device that fits into your modern kitchen and home – I would recommend Hamilton Beach ﻿﻿Brands﻿﻿ 40614.

When you take the price into consideration, this percolator seems even better, since it’s inexpensive, but offers everything that you might need from an electric percolator for both the personal use and for entertaining guests.

Barbara Whitney

For the last 20 years, I’ve been cooking, preparing, researching, and gathering recipes, tools, and knowledge about food and the way we prepare it. Raising two lively boys and spoiling one great husband later, it’s safe to say that I’ve optimized my kitchen to deliver the best possible meal, no matter the occasion.

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